Houston, we have a workers’ rights problem: Profile of a worker justice center in Texas’ biggest city

Black-lung rule loopholes leave miners vulnerable
Thousands of coal miners continued to suffer and die from black lung during the 40 years that tough new limits on exposure to coal dust were supposed to provide protection. Control of the mine dust was plagued by weak enforcement by regulators and loopholes exploited by mining companies, according to a joint investigation by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity (CPI). The protections were “set up for failure,” says Dennis O’Dell, the safety and health administrator at the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).http://www.npr.org/2012/07/10/155981916/black-lung-rule-loopholes-leave-miners-vulnerable

Reaffirming the legal rights of miners
Among the most critical provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 is the protection of miners against retaliation for raising health and safety concerns. Two recent decisions by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission have affirmed the legal rights of miners to be protected against discrimination in the workplace.http://social.dol.gov/blog/reaffirming-the-legal-rights-of-miners/

Workplace safety regulators cite recycling companies in Texas and Ohio
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration accused Electronic Recycling and Trading Co. of 14 violations in connection with a combustible dust explosion in January that severely burned two workers at a company site in Austin, Texas. The alleged violations included failing to provide suitable dust collection and fire suppression systems. The agency is proposing penalties totaling $60K. Separately, OSHA accused Toxco Inc. of 14 violations at its battery recycling plant in Lancaster, Ohio, including failing to protect workers from overexposure to lead and cadmium. Proposed penalties total $59K.http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owasrch_news_releases.search_form?p_doc_type=NEWS_RELEASES&p_toc_level=0&p_keyvalue=&p_status=CURRENT